Another Deployment

The turtle is a diamondback terrapin; a threatened species of coastal marshes.  This hatchling was found on a island.  It'll probably lose its damaged right eye and those purtuberances on the shell are either a genetic defect or disease while still in the egg.  It was sent it to the animal rehab center.  

Finishing up my deployment in Louisiana. The days are routine with standard protocols for boating on the water to rescue and/or recover birds. Anything goes in this respect. We recover dead birds from the freshly dead to bones and feathers. The dead are bagged and tagged then sent to laboratories where they have the tools to determine if the birds' death was oil related. Oil from the Deep Water Horizon has a signature that can be differentiated from any other oil in the world. This is key as the federal government can fine BP and extract monetary restitution. There are fines for what is considered a "take".


The Migratory Bird Treaty Act

This Act, originally passed in 1918, provides protection for migratory birds. Under the Act, it is unlawful to take, import, export, possess, buy, sell, purchase, or barter any migratory bird. Feathers or other parts, nests, eggs, and products made from migratory birds are also covered by the Act. Take is defined as pursuing, hunting, shooting, poisoning, wounding, killing, capturing, trapping, or collecting.

Exceptions:
Migratory bird hunting regulations, established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, allow the taking, during designated seasons, of ducks, geese, doves, rail, woodcock, and some other species. In addition, permits may be granted for various non-commercial activities involving migratory birds and some commercial activities involving captive-bred migratory birds.

Penalties:
Individuals or organizations may be fined up to $5,000 and $10,000 respectively, and may face up to six months imprisonment for misdemeanor violations of the Act. Felony violations may result in fines of up to $250,000 for individuals, $500,000 for organizations, and up to two years imprisonment.

With thousands of birds brought in you can see how much BP has to cough up for damaging birds. Kill or damage a sea turtle:

The Endangered Species Act

Passed in 1973 and reauthorized in 1988, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulates a wide range of activities affecting plants and animals designated as endangered or threatened. By definition, "endangered species" is an animal or plant listed by regulation as being in danger of extinction. A "threatened species" is any animal or plant that is likely to become endangered within the forseeable future.

The Act prohibits the following activities involving endangered species:

• Importing into or exporting from the United States.
  
• Taking (includes harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, trapping, killing, capturing, or collecting) within the United States and its territorial seas.
  
• Possessing, selling, delivering, carrying, transporting, or shipping any such species unlawfully taken within the United States or on the high seas.
  
• Delivering, receiving, carrying, transporting, or shipping in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of a commercial activity.
  
• Selling or offering for sale in interstate or foreign commerce.
  

Prohibitions apply to endangered species, their parts, and products. Most of these restrictions also apply to species listed as threatened unless the species qualifies for an exception. The Act also requires that wildlife be imported or exported through designated ports and that special declarations be filed. If the value of wildlife imported and/or exported is $25,000 per year or more, importers and exporters must be licensed.



Penalties:
Violators of the Endangered Species Act are subject to fines of up to $100,000 and one year imprisonment. Organizations found in violation may be fined up to $200,000. Fish, wildlife, plants, and vehicles and equipment used in violations may be subject to forfeiture.


It adds up. Meanwhile we boat on the open water for 8 hours/day. On occasion getting out to recon an island. Despite the apocalyptic news reports the coastal area is already recovering however, it'll take a few years to get to pre-oil conditions. That's still not an optimistic outcome. Louisiana's marshes have be disappearing for decades. The Oil corporations own the legislators. Carving up the marshes for oil extraction has destroyed thousands of square miles of coastline. Channelizing the Mississippi has prevented sedimentation from flowing into and replenishing the marshes. I have no doubt that the Republican dominated Louisiana congress will blame their irresponsible politics on the BP spill. The marshes are dying and the Gulf of Mexico is expanding into Louisiana and nothing can be done to stop it. 

These hermit crabs are battling it out for a new home.  The entrance is blocked by a smaller crab house.

The Corpse has risen

The corpse flower (Amorphophallius titanium) is found on the island of Sumatra. It has bloomed only 29 times at botanical gardens in the U.S. This was #30. The flower smells of rotting flesh to attract hundreds of flies for pollination.  There wasn't much of that smell when we saw the flower and that was an indicator the flower was in decline.  The can weigh 30 pounds or more.  The flowering is a boon to the Houston Museum of Natural History as droves of people have visited and purchased corpse thousands of dollars in merchandise and tickets. The museum stayed open 24/7 while the flower remained open. My friend Dan and I visited the plant at 2:00 am on Sunday morning. Yes, that 2:00 am because all the tickets were sold out until then. We arrive to a line of people who made this the last event of their drunken night after hitting the clubs of Houston. The line of around 100 people was probably continuous starting 4 hours prior. With a situation like this the museum had to herd the people forward and allow only a one minute gaze. Nothing I could do about that. We came, we saw, we took pictures and drove the 60 miles back to Angleton. What a drag. Rack time – 0430.


 

Clash of the Titans: Doobie vs Motorhead

Doobie, Doobie, Do-wah

One day in 2007 I was driving on the outskirts of Brazoria NWR when the botdar prompted me to pull into a backroad to botanize for spring flora. Arriving at a cul de sac I noticed a box amidst the piles of refuge that is typically dumped in these parts. In this box was several kittens that appeared to be only days old. Two survivors didn't succumb to exposure. One was on the verge of death and taken to the vet to revive. I received a call later that it died. The other was taken home. Chelsea cared for it with kitten milk and baby bottle I purchased at the store. We feared his roaming would bring him near Mr. Spock, a well known cat killer. We approached Spock with "Doobie" and told him he better not hurt our new addition. We used Doobie's paw to swat at him to prove our point. Spock became his big brother after that. Doobie grew into a 16 pound killing machine; a prolific ratter and roacher. Gone were the rats that inhabited the backyard. On occasion we came upon his prey in the house; a gift from Doobie for breakfast. 
 Picture:  Doobie and Motorhead 

The Oil Spill

Officially the Mississippi Canyon 252 Oil Spill Response.


 
I've been isolated on a barge on the Louisiana coast with no land contact other than rescuing birds for the last four days. Ten more days left. The mission is a search and rescue for birds and mammals affected by that massive oil spill gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. The first wave arrived two days before me and has been the stock footage for the national media. They've been showing that stick in the oil footage for 10 days. Cell coverage is spotty, satellite internet works. Every morning we pull out in boats to search the coast. So far there's been little to find in the way of dead birds, much to the chagrin of the national media. Word has come down that they think BP and the government is in cahoots to hide the true numbers of birds. Not there. The first oil wave is in the soil. The next one is approaching.

Face Book Can Rot in Hell

I was recently accused of being a social zombie by my sister-in-law for criticizing the Big Brother tactics of Face Book, specifically the lack of privacy. People may think I'm a social outcast by choice but I don't see the need to dilute my life and time with peer pressure obligation to be a friend to someone I hardly know or whom I never met. I have too much going on right now to do that. I made a Face Book account to communicate with Joshua in Lubbock whom I mentor for most of his life. Then my little used face book started to morph into a nagging monster. I repeatedly received emails from people I didn't know who wanted to be my friend. I guess the tipping point came when my sister in California became furious because I didn't confirm her as a friend. Enough! If people are insulted because I don't join the Face Book Matrix with them then they should reevaluate our friendship. After all I'm just a letter, email or phone call away.

The fuddy duddy Rogue Botanist.

 

Check out:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/267112

and

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/facebook-fallout-survey-finds-60-percent-may-quit-over-privacy/34863?tag=nl.e589

Connor's Pack Test.

Connor took a pack test to qualify for wildfire assignments where ever.  He's also qualified to pick up oily birds on the shores of Louisiana. 

Must walk (not run) 3 miles in 45 minutes with a 45 pound weight vest.  Time:  38:50.  Excellent!

Looking for Critters

With the possibility of the great oil slick heading for the Texas coast it is imperative that the FWS gather pre-slick information on the subsoil populations of invertebrated that will be affected. I joined a monitoring crew to inventory invertebrates at four FWS complexes – Texas Midcoast, Texas Chenier Plains, Anahuac and South Texas. With a 4" diameter modified PVC pipe we'll pull up a column of estuary soil and sift through it for inverts and send them to Corpus Christi for identification. When the oil hits and kill everything we have an idea about what existed in the soil beforehand. Then we'll place a monetary price on the damage and get our pound of flesh from BP (like everyone else). In other news I'm placed on availability to help with the clean up in the next few months. 

The Front Yard

Spring again and the yard is a cornucopia of over 100 species of flowers. This is the last year it will be this abundant as I'm covering up some sections to have the property ready to sell when I get that as yet fictitious job elsewhere. 

This is Too Classic!

I was a little despondent over the recent Supreme Court ruling that the cross at the Mohave National Park was allowed to stay on government land when I read the news about the founder of the Family Research Council. The organization that wants all homosexuals to go to hell and turn our country into a theocracy.


 
The court ruling was a 5-4 decision which allows a cross to stay on public land and by proxy became a government endorsement of religion. The majority stated that because it had been at the site for 70 years to honor the servicemen who died in war, it was now an historic monument. A sad, pathetic rational for government endorsement of the Christian religion over other religions. A very slippery slope and an affront to other servicemen of other faiths. What will the Justices rational be when a Wiccan wants to place a Wicca symbol in another park?
Be careful what you wish for people.


 
The Family Research Council - a narrow-minded, bigoted organization that profits off religious gullibility and paranoia. Since its inception it has been at the forefront to demonize gay people. It was at its most powerful during the Bush Administration (go figure) but is still a potent force in politics. So imagine the ironic recent turn of events surrounding one of its founders – George Rekers who was verified to have a male companion he found on "Rentaboy.com". Rekers recently billed the state of Florida $87,000 to testify that gay parents are unfit to adopt children. I remember Chelsea telling me that the most vocal anti-gay people are closet gays. You can take that to the bank. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/05/the_family_research_council_co.html

This ends my rant.